TWINING â€” The third annual community cookout took place at Arenac Eastern May 23, with grilled hot dogs, fruit, and beans on the lunch menu for students and community members who chose to join in.

According to Nancy Jameson, food services director, the goal of the cookout luncheon is to help get people in the community more involved in life at the school, as well as their studentsâ€™ academic career there. She said she initially started it at the Whittemore-Prescott district, where roughly 2,000 people were served in its cookout May 22.

While under normal circumstances the school would have moved its lunch tables outside for everyone to eat in the sun, inclement weather forced the cookout to take place in the school cafeteria. Rain did not stop the outdoor grilling, however â€” the food was simply cooked under overhangs.